Gun sealing means



Sept. 18,1945. D.'R. BERLIN ETAL 2,385,051

GUN :SEALING MEANS Filed Aug. 28, 1940 INVENTORS DONOVAN QJBEQLIN M 0 B CLE T IMBACH.

ATTORNFY 7 Patented Sept. 18, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFHIE GUN SEALING MEANS Donovan It. Berlin and Clem G. Trimbach, Eg-

gertsviile, N. Y., assignors to Curtiss-Wright Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application August 28, 1940, Serial No. 354,502

(Cl. 89-31) gages the tube It, or alternatively, the cooling 1 Claim.

This invention relates to accessories for guns, and in particular to protective devices applicable to aircraft machine guns.

Objects of the invention are, to provide a frangible or pierceable gun muzzle cover to protect the gun bore and to prevent the entrance of moisture, sleet, or other foreign matter into the bore; to provide afrangible muzzle cover which may be easily replaced after it has been pierced; and to provide a protecting covering for machine gun barrels of the air-cooled type.

Further objects will'become apparent from the description below when read in connection with the drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of an aircraft wing,

including a fixed machine gun'and the devices of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of an air-cooled gun barrel showing the devices of the invention in section; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the wing, gun

and the devices of the invention.

A machine gun I0 is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the gun being fixedly mounted by con-, ventional means in an aircraft wing II; the barrel of the gun extends forwardly through the wing leading edge as at l2. As shown in Fig. 2, the gun is normally provided with an embracing perforate sleeve l3, the sleeve protecting the barrel and allowing free cooling airflow thereover,

Probablyduring-the major part of the time when a military aircraft is armed, there will be little or no occasion to use the machine'guns,

and it is desirable to afford the guns protection against the harmful e flects of moisture, dust, and other foreign matter. To this end, we provide a tube II which may re dil be slipped over the sleeve l3, this tube having a stop," at its forward end, engaging .the front of the sleeve, and having. clamp screws ii at its rear end to secure it to the sleeve against axial displacement. This tube may'be removed at such times as active use of the gun is anticipated. It may be'left in place to assist in keeping the gun warm if operation in extremely cold weather is anticipated.

shield l3 or the front of the gun barrel itself. This cap ll may be made of thin rubber, or cellulose plastic, or other plastic material, which is either readily pierced by a bullet or readily broken away by the passage of a' bullet therethrough but which at the same tim is-resistant to the efiects of moisture and abraison. After having been pierced, thecap may be replaced after the gun has been serviced upon return of the aircraft to its base.

The use of these simple protective devices will help to assure readiness of the gun for action at ,all times during flight, and they are particularly effective in preventing damage to the gun should sleet or moisture be present in .the atmosphere.

While we have described our invention in detail in its present preferred embodiment, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art, after understanding our invention, that various changes and 'modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. We aim in the appended claim to cover all such modifications and changes.

We claim as our invention:

The combination with an aircraft gun of the kind having a barrel, the muzzle end of which is exposed, and a perforate cooling sleeve carried by said. barrel, of an imperforate, non-elastic tube which is open at both ends and which fits cap-piece which flts'over the end of said tube and sleeve to protect them against the elements during periods'o'f non-use and said tube being,

Further rotection-against foreign matter entering the gun barrel is attained by the use of a muzzle cap I I, comprising a front surface l0 and an integral cylindrical skirt I! which eh and which is adapted to be blown off when said gun is fired, said tube and cap-piece wholly enclosing the exposed portions. of said gun barrel operative, when it is permitted to remain on said sleeve, to render theenclosed portion of the latter ineffective when the gun is to be fired at such low temperatures as to render the cooling action of said sleeve undesirable.

Donovan 1a., BERIJN.

cum 6. 'mnmacn. 

